Where Favor is Due
by Blackfire 18
Summary: Friends are supposed to share secrets, but Ritsuko will not budge, not even for the flirtatious Kaji. Though, Kaji thinks this time might be different. After all, he did teach Ritsuko to dance in college, a favor is in order.


**Where Favor is Due**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters there within; they're property of Gainax.**

The doctor typing furiously at the glowing computers worked so diligently that she had not even heard him enter. Kaji found he was smiling to himself. If she weren't wearing the lab coat, it would be like they were back in college and only worried over impending finals. But her prestigious lab coat shone stark white across the room as an indefinite reminder of how they had all matured. University had been so long ago, the thought made Kaji's shoulders sag, as though the years after schooling had been thrown there and the sudden weight was unwanted.

Still the ceaseless clicking and muted hum of whirring computers rose through the gray, dimly lit room. Despite a stack of books and manuals on one desk, a set of file boxes piled beside a file cabinet, a flowering ashtray of cigarette butts, and the assembly of running wires that could have rivaled a subway circuit, the office was clean. But the office was as cold as it was clean. There were no posters hanging on the walls, no pictures propped on the table, not even a fake plant to add some glamour to the room. This was a place of work in the extremes of the term. No distractions.

Though the maddening silence had to make the mind wander, Kaji's thoughts rebuked him; this mind grueling work was probably her way to forget the troubles and heartbreak, her only escape.

The typing across the room stopped and the man watched as the doctor referenced something from the computer on her right, scribbled a quick note of it, double checked the statistic with the computer on her left and deftly stuck the yellow post-it with two others like it above the monitor, then went back to typing at center.

He smiled as a memory superimposed itself over the present scene. There had only been one computer in front of Ritsuko then and textbooks piled high on either side as she revised her friend's essays to be presentable to the professor. The backspace button shorted out before all the others, but Kaji and Misato kept their main editor well caffeinated and equipped with new keyboards. The blonde girl had worked hard for them back then and she had remained as proficient to her work even now. Too proficient.

Kaji took it upon himself to give her a break.

Walking up, he thought how best to deliver his greeting, he enjoyed when he entered with flair and Ritsuko had set herself up. He decided his actions at his last step.

She gasped and started when he placed his arms around her shoulders, his cheek a mere breath away from hers; he could see his eye reflected in the dark pupils of her shrewd green eyes as they glanced sharply toward the interloper. The typing stopped.

"Hello there." He said, unable to stop the smile from reaching his lips at seeing her expected reaction.

"Oh Kaji, you startled me." Her initial surprise had dissipated so quickly, Kaji felt mildly disappointed. He used to get her into such a tizzy the scream would still be ringing in his ears; none of this calm acceptance of his surprise arrival. Kaji decided she must have reached a new threshold of composure…that, or his greeting her many times in the same manner, much to Misato's chagrin, might have worn out.

"Just thought I'd see if this work hasn't numbed you completely." He said jokingly.

"Well, I suppose your brand of interruption always knew how to snap me out of it." Ristuko returned with a wry smile. Kaji had almost forgotten how adept the doctor could be at subtly insulting people. And as always, she appeared unfazed at Kaji's nearness or compromising hold about her shoulders. "How are you, Kaji?"

It was here he decided to release her, his entrance had been embraced, so to speak. He stole a quick glance at the notes posted on the computer screen to his left. The first had an estimate for MAGI repairs, the second held just the shred of information he had been looking for to shut the agency up for awhile, and the third was the present date with an evening time and a minuscule "_Rendezvous_" written beneath it. Kaji could guess just who she planned to meet for the evening. Giving her a gentle squeeze, he pulled back to settle comfortably on the desk beside her where the books were stacked.

"A little stressed from time to time, who isn't down here?" He pointed his chin toward the computers and glanced back at Ritsuko, which earned him an appreciative smile. "But I'm still alive."

The woman's smile grew a little more serious, more knowing. "Glad to hear it."

"And how about you? How's everything with the boss?"

Ritsuko's chair swiveled slightly when she leaned one arm onto it; two fingers pressed to her temple. "Just peachy."

Kaji's grin broadened.

"That bad, huh? I always thought you deserved better."

Ritsuko's fingers moved instead to curl beneath her chin as one of her eyebrows arched.

"Someone like you, Kaji?" She waited patiently for his usual destitute answer of "drinks on me" and the locations of the nearest motels for a hollow night on the town; the same habitual play that would complete any given conversation with Kaji.

"Well, I wasn't about to suggest it," Kaji shrugged innocently, but his devious grin proved otherwise, "but if you insist—I would be more than happy to steal your affections." Ritsuko laughed.

"You haven't changed after all these years."

Realizing Kaji intended to stay for more than a brief exchange, she removed her glasses and placed them on the table as she reached for the mug of coffee. She watched him over the rim of porcelain as she drank, allowing the years to catch up to them both and the stretch of memories that blossomed in the space between them as an almost tangible object of warm friendship. "You're still a tactical shark looking for the fish with the best…assets." She tilted her head to one side to accentuate the implication. Kaji was unperturbed.

"And you're still an overachieving workaholic, I see," He studied the computers with mock interest as he held his chin in one hand. "You always put Misato and me to shame."

"Well, maybe if you had studied biology more than anatomy, you may have performed better at university." She took another sip. Again the subtle, playful sting of her words made him smile.

"Hey, I passed human anatomy with flying colors, give some credit were credit is due." He swept his arms outward and shut his eyes. "Besides, science was never my interest growing up. I wanted to be a police officer, not a botanist."

Ritsuko nodded once solemnly.

"Of course, though it's hard for me to imagine your clean shaven face in uniform. Naturally, _your_ occupation of choice would require you to wear a suit, pack a bottomless canteen of rum, and carry a list of pretty faces to inquire after. Botany may have been a less stressful career choice. But congratulations on the first and last 'A' of your college career."

Kaji popped one eye open to see the doctor smugly sip again at her coffee.

"We can't all be Ritsuko Akagi, brilliant mastermind of science and technology."

The doctor smiled shyly and glanced down; and where an outsider might have thought she was humbly accepting the compliment, Kaji knew she was regrouping for an interrogation. He prepared for any approach the woman might take; roundabout questions about how things were keeping up with Misato or a direct jab at his agency, or even a topic discussion that would remove them from the previous conversation completely. Ristuko knew his weakness for booze—number, vintage, brand, and taste. Surely she would not hit below _that_ belt.

Ritsuko replaced her mug on the desk and looked back up at him. Kaji gazed back innocently.

"All right, what is it you want?" her arms crossed over her chest and she leaned back into her chair. The abruptness of the question sent the wheels in his mind reeling to a stop. Curt, sharp, and to the point, much like the doctor herself nowadays. He was left no spacious maneuvers to improvise. "You only ever came to butter me up if you wanted something or other. Years ago it was copying class lecture notes and essay answers for the next final, what is it now? Ratios and test sync data? The next Angel interception estimate?" Another wry smile twisted the edges of her lips. "Do you have a final coming up, Kaji?"

Her deliberate gaze seemed to reinforce the knowledge that she had cut across his calculated deliberation where it stood. Kaji might have feigned innocence back when he didn't know Ritsuko had a way of reading people, so he shrugged off the farce.

"As you may already have guessed, I am here to ask just a few friendly questions about some interesting figures that don't add up in my records…"

At once all the humor evaporated from Ritsuko's face and she turned away from him with a tired sigh, her fingertips back at her temple.

"You know I can't do that Kaji." The pause that followed made the absence of typing deafening, and Ritusko shook her head lightly, her voice lowered. "If you dig too deep, you may not like what you find."

The sincerity of her words bothered him, was this still part of the play? Surely that undercurrent of remorse could not have been staged. He blinked. How could the bright and young Ritsuko have transformed into the distant, formal doctor that cared more for data reports than a social drink in the span of a few years? There was such an air of fatigue in the doctor's posture as her shoulders slumped forward and her blonde hair shrouded her eyes from view; their friendship had aged like one of his favorite wines. Unfortunately, that particular wine grew bitter over time.

He would have to cross the boundaries the doctor had set around herself as a technical and directorial head of NERV, and he was suddenly concerned; for her welfare, for their friendship.

"I'm willing to take the risk," Kaji replied just as softly. "I want to know the truth."

"The truth hurts." She murmured and Kaji got the distinct feeling she spoke from personal experience. Only her eyes moved to match his when she spoke again. "Are you so sure you're ready to withstand the repercussions of your actions?"

Kaji met her gaze unblinkingly. How did one reply when their beliefs were questioned? How did the moral man fight for his undying principles of ethics and ideals? People killed and died for the security of a belief and Kaji knew he was no different.

Kaji knew he could answer with the same truth he so dearly sought.

"To the death."

The edges of Ritsuko's lips twitched faintly and she dropped her gaze; her voice was softer than ever.

"I hope you're committed to that declaration."

"Am I taking my marriage vows already?" Kaji chuckled and Ritsuko's eyes shot back to him, taken aback. "And here I am without a decent ironed shirt." Did he really think this a laughing matter? But Kaji was determined to set the mood back to being light. "But I have no bride to be! Now where could I find one on such short notice?" he pretended to think hard about it then gestured offhandedly at the woman across from him. "Hey Rit, you doing anything for the next twenty-five years?"

"I've never been taken with the idea of marriage." She said coolly, glazing over her initial shock to Kaji's apparent disregard of his own life. "I'm much too busy for such nonsense. The relationship between men and women is so illogical."

"Don't opposites attract?"

"Familiarity breeds contempt."

"Love is all you need."

"Love is blind."

Kaji chuckled and ran a hand through his hair at the chill composed words of his colleague. "You know, Misato and I worried about you never finding your Mr. Right; we used to set you up all the time with every single guy we could find we thought would match you."

"So that was _you_ trying to sabotage my studies!" Ritsuko said accusingly, but the smile took the bite out of her remark. "Do you have any idea how many excuses I had to come up with to get those hormone induced apes away from me?"

Kaji laughed outright. "Yes, I'll admit it, we even started to send bachelors out just to see how you would deal with them." Ritsuko's brow furrowed in contempt at this confession and he held up both his hands. "But we stopped once we realized how adamantly devoted you were to your studies."

"You devious, conniving fiends."

"It was good fun for awhile, but I truly worried about you, Ritsuko." Her expression changed faintly at these words, and anyone but Kaji or Misato may not have noticed it. "Everyone needs someone at some point in their lives and it hurts being alone." Kaji paused to let his words sink in. Ritsuko remained silent. "I just wanted my two girls to be happy."

The doctor evasively shrugged off her discomfort at how close his words had hit to home, as another cleverly veiled jab bounced off the tip of her tongue.

"You certainly took good care of Misato."

"But never you." Kaji returned unflinchingly and stared so penetratingly into Ritsuko's eyes that a small tremor seized her spine. She was shockingly left speechless. "I'm sorry for that, Rit. Things may have been better for you had I stepped in more often."

Ritsuko's voice had grown smaller once more as she unconsciously picked at the padded arm of her seat with her nails.

"You did once. Do you remember?"

* * *

Classes had ended for the day and the three friends had decided to go to a club for the remainder of the evening. Or rather, Misato and Kaji had decided to take the night out and had somehow convinced Ritsuko to abandon her books and papers to go with them.

Ritsuko would not have admitted it, but she was happy for the break from the papers and endless toiling nights of study to achieve the same honors that graced her last name and live up to the expectations of her mother. Though Misato could have just as easily invited the blonde _without_ stealing her books and ruthlessly throwing them through the door from the threshold then locking the door and slamming it shut. Ritsuko thought her heart might burst when the books and papers cracked and spilled across the floor; the outright act of disrespect made Ritsuko shriek in fury, but Misato had only smiled and linked her arm through the blonde's trembling one and steered her towards Kaji's beat up car.

They reached the club and the joint was already swinging with dancers. The entire atmosphere affected Kaji so well that he ordered a round of drinks for the three of them. He and Misato had raced to down their drinks while Ritsuko sipped sparingly at her own glass and another round was ordered before she had finished her second gulp. Ten empty glasses sat before Kaji and Misato, while Ritsuko had only managed to down a single glass with four to go. The two friends that had slipped into a happy-drunk state then began arguing what was the best music and boasting who could dance better. Kaji declared himself a learned dancer and Misato proclaimed she was just as competent had she the right partner, so when a song started up that the both of them thoroughly enjoyed (screaming and hollering their praises while punching the air), they both swept arm in arm to the dance floor, leaving a stunned Ritsuko behind to watch them leave.

Kaji glanced back once at her to see her dismayed expression at being so suddenly abandoned and made a feeble gesture that promised to give her the next dance before Misato tugged him away and they were swallowed up by the pressing bodies. Ritsuko suddenly felt foolish sitting alone at the bar with four full drinks and no one to talk to. Taking up one glass and hoping no one would come to bother her for a dance, she downed it all at once—and immediately wished she hadn't. The burning set her mouth on fire and tore through her throat to ultimately send thrashing, searing waves of heat to her stomach. It was difficult to hold back her choke of disgust. How did Kaji and Misato drink so effortlessly while she suffocated trying to get intoxicated?

From her seat she watched her friends dancing together and a new type of disgust festered in her stomach. They both looked so natural together, as though they were _made_ for each other; the artistic beauty of their bodies in kinetic motion screamed for them never to part, it was making love while clothed. Jealousy lanced through Ritsuko's heart. As much as she despised the illogical relations between men and women, the more she watched Kaji and Misato dance together so seamlessly, the more she wanted to feel the special connection they shared.

Even through her envy, she watched them dance in fascinated wonder.

The song had a thriving tempo and a driving beat that was perfect for what the duo could adlib. Once they began to twirl and swing together, their talents were made obvious and people began to part to give them just the space needed to perform even more elaborate moves. The cheers and claps were uproarious as they spun around the human ring.

Kaji caught one of Misato's legs under the knee and pulled her against him so that only her pointed toe was left on the floor and he spun her around once like this to cat calls and whistles. Ritsuko saw as they smiled up at one another; there was a look in their eyes that she registered, but felt she would never understand. That furtive glance was something she would never experience.

Misato was every bit the dancer she had claimed to be. The rippling fall of her twirling skirt was impossibly beautiful and her motions were so fluid, it was difficult to determine when one step ended and another began. The delicate arch of her arms and sharp poses of her legs were immaculate to every detail. She was flawless.

Kaji matched Misato in her skill and moved his partner about as though she were but a cloud in the sky. His strong supporting holds were effortless as he resiliently lifted Misato time and again. The sashaying steps came to him easily as he guided the both of them across the polished wooden floor. They were so smooth together it was like they danced on air.

There was no other moment in Ritsuko's life that she yearned to be so lovingly intimate as Misato and Kaji. She wanted what they shared to be her own, she wanted to feel that same burning passion that gleamed so eagerly in their eyes. And still they danced.

Quickly they released into a trotting two step, twisting their bodies with every two stomps; then a sashaying tango that swept them once more about the human circle, Misato's dark hair was flying beautifully at each turn. Bodily contact came about every other turn, allowing Misato her own feats of electrifying performance as she sprung off Kaji's back with her own and dipped back into the dance.

Finally, Kaji swung Misato forward through his legs and she kicked off the ground hard enough to get airborne for a midair spin which Kaji caught her from for a spectacular finish. Panting heavily and sheeted with sweat, they happily waved for the screams of approval and thunderous applause and bowing in turn, the pair of them walked off the dance floor. The crowd was sad to see them go, but the space that had been formed for them was quickly filled as the next song started.

But the aching void within Ritsuko became more palpable as her friends drew near, hand in hand and murmuring sweet nothings to each other beneath the beat of the new song, while she sat with her third drink clutched in her quivering hand, emotionally wounded but at once happy for them. She was happy for the success they had shared on the dance floor; she simply could not ignore their gushing talent.

Approaching the bar table, they saw Ritsuko's expression of utter awe.

"That was…amazing!" she said, deeply impressed by the both of them. "You both dance so well…you…you were electric!"

"Thanks, Ritsuko!" Misato panted, her face flushed as slapped the table. "Another drink please!"

"Now it's your turn, eh Ritsuko?" Kaji patted her shoulder and laughed as he grasped her hand and pulled forward. Her face fell instantly.

"O-Oh no, no. I-I can't." she stammered and desperately scrambled for a hold to the table behind her with her free hand.

"Don't be shy! Come on!" Kaji grinned and tugged a little harder, but Ritsuko's resistance was fearsome.

"No! I-I can't! I can't dance!"

"Ahh, if she doesn't want to, don't make her, Kaji." Misato said, unable to entirely disguise her relief at Ritsuko's refusal.

"Please! I can't!" the older girl begged. He finally realized she was serious when her horrified expression would not change. But he did not release her hand.

"Then I'll just have to teach you." Kaji said resolutely and he gently but powerfully pulled Ritsuko from her seat. Misato snorted into her half-drunk drink.

"_You're_ going to teach the Almighty Ritsuko something?" Misato said to Kaji, but her gaze was set fixedly on Ritsuko. The blonde could do nothing but stare back, her mouth had gone dry.

Kaji shrugged. "I figure we owe her a little favor for all the work she did with our papers." And with that, he pulled the older girl away from the table.

Behind them, Misato banged the table hard with a fist and demanded two more drinks.

Ritsuko proved ever more remarkably resistant as they neared the dance floor, forcing even Kaji to struggle as he towed. As they neared the steps of the dance floor, Ritsuko made a valiant effort of digging her heels into the carpet, unable to stop the whimper of fear that escaped her throat, she tightly shut her eyes as Kaji's iron grip forced her forward to impending disaster—but then he made a sudden turn to the left that took them away from the thriving mass of bodies and flashing lights. Temporarily disoriented by the change of direction, she no longer fought Kaji as her fear turned to confusion. He wasn't about to take her to the floor for an embarrassing, life-altering dance?

Kaji stopped instead in a secluded area where the lights were dim and the music was faint and turned to his captive with a smile, Ritsuko looked utterly scandalized and flushed, unsure of what to expect and apprehensive. She trembled lightly in his hand. He placed her hand on his shoulder then wrapped an arm around the small of her back, pulling her toward him. She resisted only a moment before allowing herself to be pulled so close, her cheeks now burning a bright red even in the weak light, her green eyes wide as they stared at him. He deftly took up her other hand in his own and interlaced their fingers, hearing his beginner dancing partners' breath coming in short bursts. Finally, the master of all had been made a pupil of something, Kaji thought humorously.

"Relax," Kaji said soothingly and Ritsuko's shoulder's visibly descended from her ears, not entirely relaxed, but not as tense as before.

"All right, now, have you ever danced before—at all?" he asked.

Ritsuko shook her head and spoke in a low tone. "I-I was never invited to any social functions."

"Never? Not once?" he said in disbelief, she may not have been the most social girl, but Ritsuko was pretty. She shook her head again. He brushed his body lightly against hers, only to have her twitch violently and tense up once more. Kaji let her shrink back to a moderately comfortable distance until she was mildly relaxed. Smiling, he went on as though nothing had happened. "Huh, well, what we do for dancing is the man is usually the lead, so I'm just going to move you a little here and there, and you just match your steps to me, ok?"

Ritsuko's bewildered expression mixed with the instinctive horror from the table almost made Kaji laugh, but it wouldn't be nice to laugh at his student.

"Don't worry, it's really easy. We'll take it slow. Now you step back with your left foot first…" Kaji stepped forward with his right foot, pushing Ritsuko backward just as she stepped back with her left. "Perfect! Now the right…" and again she complied. "Excellent! Let's do it again!" And again the pair took two steps back (she stepped on his foot once to a torrent of apologies but he waved them off), then another two, then another two, then Kaji pulled backwards, forcing Ritsuko to move forwards which confused her for only a moment until she was back in the groove. "You lied to me!" Kaji exclaimed suddenly and Ritsuko jumped in fear as she gazed up at her mentor. "You said you've never danced before."

This was one of those rare times Ritsuko had smiled so unabashedly at Kaji.

"I-I haven't!" she said quickly, promising her honesty and flushed at her newfound success.

"You're pretty good at it." He grinned, causing Ritsuko's stammer to return.

"Th-Thank y—"

"Must be your teacher…he's a handsome devil, isn't he?" His jibe was awarded with a high-pitched giggle from Ritsuko and he laughed with her. They smiled at each other and hope fluttered in Ritsuko's chest. Perhaps she would know what one of those affectionate looks felt like after all. "Well, let's just try it a little faster."

Kaji again went through the motions and Ritsuko determinedly matched her pace to his, thinking hard on where to put her feet. They completed one more round of the simple routine when Kaji suddenly added a turn to the steps, like he had done with Misato. The girl was lost her footing for a moment but Kaji explained that nothing changed in the steps, only that they were turning and Ritsuko executed the next turn perfectly. Emboldened, Kaji made around the secluded area with his dance partner with a turn at every rotation which she completed to near perfection.

At last Kaji pulled away and applauded his partner who blushed more furiously than ever, but smiled despite herself. Ritsuko dared allow herself to imagine that all who occupied the dance floor were clapping for her and dancing teacher, imbued with the same praise that he and Misato had been showered in. Just maybe, Ritsuko would know what applause was like, what passion was like…

"You'll be a pro in no time! We will have to dance together more often, but the next lesson will have to wait, my first partner wants another dance I think." Kaji said as both of them turned to see Misato stalking their way.

"Thank you, Kaji." Ritsuko smiled shyly and he happily returned the smile with a lopsided grin of his own.

"Anytime, Rit."

"C'mon, Kaji! I want another dance—the crowd wants to see us go again!" Misato said forcefully, a dangerous glint in her eyes turned specifically towards Ritsuko, like a child warning a friend that her favorite toy was not to be played with so lightly and she was not planning on sharing ever again. It was here Ritusko gave the dark-haired girl a simpering smile that implied more than it meant. Misato's aggressive expression changed on the spot.

"All right, I'm coming! Ow! Misato, not so hard!" He laughed when Misato pulled possessively at his arm, he resisted long enough to get one last word in. "Next time, Rit," Kaji winked, "we'll dance together on the floor."

Ritsuko immediately tensed again, eyes wide, and shook her head, evoking another laugh from him.

"Next time, Rit! Next time!"

* * *

Kaji stared at the older Ritsuko across from him in awe as she finished the reminiscence.

"How do you remember that—that was a decade ago!"

But Ritsuko only smiled coyly and said nothing.

"You know, the lessons don't come free, I was wondering if I could call on that favor now…" Kaji continued, smiling lightly. The doctor crossed her arms over her chest expectantly. "I'd like those figures if you could spare them."

"I can't do that, Kaji." She repeated flatly, there was no room in her voice for argument and Kaji shrugged in defeat.

"Well, suit yourself, but how about instead of exchanging numbers: We should dance again. You said we would."

And as it had did ten years ago, Ritsuko's face transformed to abject horror.

"I said no such thing!"

"Sure you did!" Kaji spread his hands in a buoyant gesture as though to draw the invented promise from thin air. He stood from the desk and dusted himself to make himself less filthy for the doctor to touch. "Now come on, the second lesson was supposed to be to music."

"Impossible." She laughed shallowly with uncertain relief. "How can we dance without mu—" but she was stopped short when Kaji bent over one of her computers and double clicked an item on the desktop, starting a slow and familiar tune. Kaji turned back to the stunned doctor and offered her his hand.

"Shall we dance?"

Ritsuko stared at him a moment, skeptical that this was actually happening, then smiled her surrender and shrugged out of her lab coat; shrugged out of the formality that constrained their friendship; and slowly accepted his hand. He helped her up from his seat and she lightly placed her hands where they needed to be. Kaji could feel her uncertainty in her grasp, her trembling hands made the hairs rise on the nape of his neck.

He placed his hand at her waist and felt the faint vibration of her body, quivering with the same uncertainty that shook her arms. Her green gaze was dutifully docile as she looked shyly up at him; they had become the same young adults dancing together in the club that night. He smiled warmly at her, a reassurance after so many years of neglect. Hopefully, she remembered anything she had been taught after so long. She may have been a graduated genius of math and science, but she was still a novice at dancing. The friendly smile turned into a smirk as he pulled the woman close, pleased that she still had the instinct to resist, but soon melted to his gentle touch and they began to dance.

They eased into the steps together with minor mishap; the doctor seemed to recall the dance in short time. They stared at each other a moment when Ritsuko's lips finally curled into a dry smile.

"You planned this, didn't you?"

"No, I really have no idea how that file got into your computer." He grinned. Ritsuko shook her head with an exasperated sigh, but relented to the steps as the song went on. It was nice to be held like this, so close and securely…and gently too. There would be no expectations after the dance, they were simply there in the moment, together. It was…nice.

The room seemed to fade and all that existed was the pair of them swaying together and the lilting music. Turns were slow and graceful, shy dips were precise and elegant as the simple two-step went on. They spun lazy circles like the eddy of a stream; they formed the swirling currents of the sea and the airy sighs of the breeze. They were poetry in motion.

Slowly, they pressed closer together as they grew braver. Kaji's hand gradually slipped around Ritsuko's waist and her arms in turn slid higher around his neck. He smiled impishly, this had certainly progressed further than the last time. The grin affected Ritsuko and she returned it with a mischievous smile of her own as Kaji pressed his finger's into her hipbone for a final spin—

Suddenly the door to Ritsuko's office flew open and banged against the wall, causing both the doctor and man she was dancing with to jump.

"Just _what exactly_ are you two doing?"

Misato had burst in looking livid with her hair in a frizz and her eyes wide as they flickered accusingly between Ritsuko and Kaji. Ritsuko wouldn't admit the blush that had crept across her cheeks and Kaji had tensed in Ritsuko's arms.

"Dancing?" he offered meekly, but managed his most disarming smile that had absolutely no effect on the operations major.

"_So!_" Misato snarled hotly, "So, you come back and the first thing you do is sniff around Ritsuko, trying to seduce EVA secrets from her?" She stomped one foot and threw her arms above her head. "I should have known! I should have guessed it I hadn't seen you around for more than three days—you never change!" And as Misato's tirade went on, the doctor and her partner slowly parted with embarrassed smiles for each other, both in understanding of Misato's true reason for the outburst at seeing them together. It was college all over again. Kaji duly noted Ritsuko's cheeks were still red.

"Aw, but isn't that what you love about me? I'm the perfect nostalgia man because I never change. Ow!" Misato had pinched him above the ear and was yanking him out of the office, muttering things about jerk boyfriends and boyfriend stealing doctors and worst mistakes of her life under her breath, with a chuckling Ritsuko behind them. "'Bye Rit, I'll be seeing _you_ later…ouch, not so hard, Misato." He pleaded as the woman dragging him away gave him another forceful jerk. The doctor waved as her door slammed shut again.

She chuckled again to herself at her friends' antics, shaking her head, perhaps some things never changed. Settling once more into her chair, she placed her hands over the keyboard to type and glanced absently at her notes on the monitor—which had gone missing. Her jaw dropped. Her three notes had all been taken and in their place was left a single small note on a white post-it. She snatched it from the monitor frame and when she read it she smiled with a sigh of incredulity.

_Ritsuko, let's dance again soon._

—_Kaji_

* * *

**Author's Note: WOW! I haven't written anything this lengthy in a long time. And of course, I have my beta tester to thank for all the revision efforts (drum roll please): Eric Blair! He really helped me flesh this out and I think it is about 400x better because of it, thanks so much Eric!**

**Whew, I'm still floored I wrote so much though, haha, I guess I've got to start using that kind of meticulous detail from now on because I am loving the results. Just all the interaction is wonderful. Wow.**

**Sorry, gushing! Anyway, I've been wanting to write a Ritsuko and Kaji fic in so long, it's been filed in my brain for years and I finally sat down and pounded it out. I just love their relationship; it's friendly but it could almost be more...Trust me, I'm a Misato/Kaji fan to the max, but I'm just intrigued with Ritsuko and Kaji! They're cute!**

**Now, heck if I know how much the Japanese are into dancing, I know they love karaoke (duh), I used to watch the competitions and not understand a word of it on TV, but when I saw all the "Dancing with the Stars" moves I just knew I wanted to stem this story from it. I could just see Kaji and Misato dancing together in my head, but then again I'm crazy...I have to give favor where favor is due!**

**So, I hope everyone who read enjoyed the story and will please leave a review!**

**Thanks again for all the help Eric--watch out for those maji, they might get you!**

**Rochelle**


End file.
